Ava's Antics

Ava's been a busy little toddler (she'll be 20 months on Feb. 9). She loves to find empty laundry baskets (or almost empty and she'll happily dump out the rest) to lay in, sit in, read in, etc. Here she is reading in the laundry basket with her baby doll. I had just given her a pillow that she had asked for.
Ava got a kitchen set for Christmas. (Thanks, Rebecca for the great deal!) Here she is with her Aunt Kelly and cousins, Yummum (William) and Kate.
Here she is stuck in the toy basket in her closet. I heard her yelling, "Help! Help!", but made her pose for a picture before I got her out.
Ava loves her mermaid tent that my parents got her. She also loves the blanket from Chris' dad.

Here are just a few of the phrases Ava has been using lately, (some I enjoy hearing more than others):
1. No, Mommy...(when she doesn't want to do something)/Stop it Mommy (when she doesn't want me to do something - like talk to Daddy or check my email instead of paying attention to her)
2. I don't want to
3. Ava do it ...Mommy do it (said this when Mommy told her to clean up her mess)
4. Uh-oh, I dropped it
5. Where'd it go? I found it.
6. I sorry Mommy/Daddy....or she'll say "I sorry" when she gets hurt
7. C'mon! Hurry!
8. Help! I stuck.
9. I love you/I love you too!
10. What happened? What's that? OH, no!
11. First, diaper/eat/clean-up -then, books/play (repeated after I say it)
12. I drive (Ava says as she sneaks into the driver's seat of our new van and starts turning the wheel and moving the gear shift)

13. Listen, Listen...Do you hear that? ...airplane/truck/baby crying
14. Sweet dreams, night-night
15. Mmm, yummy....I like it.
16. Ava sad/happy.
17. 1, 2, 3, fork, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 (she sometimes skips 5 & 6)

18. Oh my gosh

19. do you want one/some?...yes?

20. No Quartz/Maya - Ava's food!

21. Please! Thank you, Mommy/Daddy

22. A kiss it? (when she gets an ouchie)

23. She's also been singing lately. She likes to sing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and the ABC song...oh and of course anything from The Little Mermaid.

24. Ava also thinks it funny to call me Lori. ;)

25. I swimming, swimming...(she likes to pretend swim in the bathtub)

26. That tickles

27. "MINES!"

28. I race you!

29. Dang it! (repeating what her mommy said...oops)

A Must Read

Just thought I'd share...I think everyone should read this book.

I've read this book about 3-4 times in the last 2 years and think it is one of the best financial books out there. It's short and easy to read (it'd probably take you 2 hours tops) and has practical steps to follow. The title might sound a little too good to be true - but note that it doesn't say INSTANT millionaire - just automatic. It covers topics from getting out of debt, paying yourself first (through pre-tax investments like your 401k or IRA), investing, becoming a homeowner and paying off your mortgage early, and even covers tithing and charitable giving.

I hesitated to post this but I really think it is a beneficial read...the younger you start - the better.

Snow Much Fun

We took advantage of the few inches of snow that we got this weekend and had some snow fun.
This was Ava's first time playing in the snow. We bundled her up and just let her go. She took to it immediately, sloshing around in her snow boots.
Here she is waving to the camera...you can see the snowman that we were building in the background...actually Chris did most of the building. I did the decorating. We used Chris' hat, an old scarf, rocks for the eyes, sticks for the arms we found in the field across the street, mulch pieces for the mouth and buttons and a baby carrot for the nose...I guess we just don't buy the regular sized carrots anymore. Anyway, it was the perfect snow for making a snowman.
Once we let Ava take her mittens off she couldn't get enough of picking up the snow. She enjoyed adding handfuls of snow to the snowman as her contribution.
Daddy and Ava next to our snowman. We built the snowman close to the house to deter neighbor kids from knocking it down.

I'm sorry to report that by the time Chris left for work this morning it was demolished...how rude! We're not going to let it damper our spirits - we'll be rebuilding tonight - but this time in the backyard. Ava will be able to look at it more through the back door this way anyway - until it dies a more natural death - via melting! UPDATE: We won't be rebuilding after all - it's TOO cold and the snow is too hard. That's okay though. At least we have our pictures to remember him by. ;) It just makes you wonder why kids do that kind of stuff! Oh well. Luckily, Ava isn't old enough to be sad about it and recognize that it's still supposed to be there. We did notice that almost all of the snowmen in the area were also knocked down...someone must've gone on a snowman rampage...so sad.

The Home Stretch

I've got less than 10 weeks to go before baby girl #2 arrives. For the majority of this pregnancy so far I've kind of forgotten or have been in denial that I was pregnant - not really thinking about it unless I was feeling the baby move or feeling sick.

That has changed...I'm now feeling pregnant and my belly has sure expanded in recent weeks. I'm definitely feeling more tired and am also feeling the effects of all of those wondeful hormones - not to mention mental pressure and anxiety! This pregnancy has been a little different.

Here are some of my cravings this pregnancy: oranges, hot chocolate, Ramen noodles, bread, especially Great Harvest Honey Wheat bread (I couldn't eat bread, sandwiches or pizza when pregnant with Ava - yuck), ice cream, juice, salad - can't get enough of the salad bar at Jason's Deli (which reminds me that Chris is due to take me there) and glazed or powdered donuts.

When I was pregnant with Ava I was working so had fun dressing up in all of my new maternity clothes, etc. Now, I am perfectly content if not elated to be in my favorite comfy pants, wearing Chris' athletic socks (it's sooo cold right now), with my hair in a pony tail, reading or watching one of our favorite shows that we've dvr'd (sp?). Now that's the life.

I'm starting to face the reality that yes, the baby is coming and yes, I am pregnant, and yes, this is the last leg and I will experience more discomfort as things progress. On the other hand, I'm also starting to really think about the excitement of welcoming a new family member to our home and how blessed we truly are!

Those are my thoughts for now.

I just joined the club...sigh...

I'm officially a "minivan mom". It's too cold to take a real picture of our new (well, slightly used 2006) Toyota Sienna so here's a stock photo. We tried really hard to find an SUV that had decent gas mileage and enough room for our expanding family...not to mention safe...but instead got a mini van. We realized it was the more practical move although I'm having mixed emotions about it! (I'll post a real pic when the weather isn't so foul).

Busy New Hobby

Now that these quilts have been opened by their intended recipients and parents -- I can show you what I spent so many hours working on. First of all, Camie gets the credit for turning me on to making these I Spy quilts. Totally her idea. Then, Rebecca S. gets the credit for motivating met to get them done because she amazingly cranked out like 4 of these before I finished my 2nd one. What's an I Spy quilt? It's basically just a quilt full of novelty fabric blocks that contain lots of different objects that you can play games with and use during quiet times or on car trips. I decided to try and make one for each of the 4 grandkids for Christmas (Ava's has not been done yet - have to get on that).

Here is the first quilt that I made for my 1 year old nephew, Ryan. (You should be able to click on the picture to make it bigger). It kind of has a "picnic" theme to it. Keep in mind that other than a wall-hanging - this is my first ever quilt. I learned quite a bit. Also keep in mind that I made the decision that I couldn't go for perfection - if I wanted to ever finish it anyway.

Here is the 2nd one I did for my neice, Kate. Her mom, Gaia, knew I was doing these quilts and came over and picked out some squares from my HUGE collection that I have aquired from ebay as well as LOTS of trips to local and not as local fabric shops. I think I bought 70 1/4 yards of various fabrics plus kits purchased from ebay.
And the last one I made was for my nephew, William. Gaia mentioned that William would probably want to put the quilt on his bed so I tried to make it a little bigger. I also skipped the sashing and did solid blue squares (thanks to Rebecca for the idea and sample). Because of a sewing machine malfunction I took a long break between quilts 2 and 3 and didn't finish William's quilt until 2 days before we left for our trip. But, it did get done! Now, I just need to make one for my own daughter.

Side note: I'm really starting to feel the pressure of this new baby coming (due March 26). I feel like there are so many things I want and need to get done before she comes! AHH! Baby steps, baby steps....

California Christmas

TIME FOR A NEW BLOG!

We had a nice Christmas in California this year to visit Chris' dad and stepmom. We almost missed our plane getting there (several people in front of us were trying to get to Denver during their snowstorm), and had and eventful plane ride - but we made it afterall. Ava is Chris' dad's first grandchild so it was nice for us to be able to spend Christmas together.

They live in Vallejo which is near the bay area. We spent a day in San Francisco's Union Square and then went to Pier 39. We ate at MY diner, a 50's style place, and went to a cool store called Hannspree, pic below.

What a cool little frog seat. Ava, of course thought it was fun to sit on him.

At Pier 39, they have a huge two-level carousel. Ava absolutely loved riding on it, saying "Whee" almost the entire time, then pleading for more rides. We were going to ride it again but went instead to see the famous sea lions before it became too dark. We taught Ava the sound for a sea lion and listened to it for the rest of the trip...that was funny!

Christmas morning was fun. Ava had a TON of presents to open. I think she got a little overwhelmed. She figured out how to do it and got the hang of it, although she wanted to open and play with each present right away. That was hard to understand. Ava took the loot in the Little Mermaid category - mermaid blanket, sleeping bag, tea set, cd player, purse set, dinnerware, cups, then a mermaid tent from my parents, a mermaid chair from Aunt Gina, a mermaid dress, and yesterday, cousin William gave her a Flounder pillow. I'm probably leaving something out but you can see it was lots of MERMAID stuff! She loved every bit of it.

Christmas Eve we went to Chris' stepmom (Jenny's) parents' house for Crab - Chris loved that. Then, we had a nice Christmas dinner at their (Will & Bonnie)'s house. We had a nice time. This is our best shot at a Christmas family picture. OH well. :)

Chris' dad helps head security at the C&H Sugar Refinery in Crockett. On our last day, we went to visit him at work. PIC: Chris, Ava, Chris's sister, Liz, and their dad, Glenn. Ava loved the Culligan water station - we kept having to get her refills and replacing the little cone-shaped paper cups. She thought it was the greatest thing ever.

Grandpa George let Ava put on his safety glasses and we found a hat to complete her look.

We had a nice visit in CA and enjoyed meeting back with some of my family back in KS. -Other than the hassles of airports and air travel: lost Chris' luggage on the way there and then lost Ava's box of presents and her carseat on the way back. All of the items were delivered shortly after being lost - they had to give us a "loaner" carseat so we could get back home, then delivered hers later.

I didn't get my act together soon enough to send Christmas cards out this year - better luck next year I suppose. We leave soon for our trip to CA but wanted to wish everyone a very..MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Check it out

Check out this cute new dress my mom, Ava's grandmother, made Ava! It's actually a little knitted sleeveless dress and jacket set.

Here's the back view - she even added trim to the jacket so it stood out and did some cool detail work along the cuffs and hem of the dress.
Ava apparently likes her new dress too. THANKS GRANDMA!

We Gave it a Try...

We went to the Christmas Party at LMH, Chris' new employer, this week. Santa was there so your child could get their picture taken with him. We thought we'd see how Ava would do. I knew I'd have to sit by her but wasn't sure how she'd react to the man in the big red suit. The picture explains her feelings.
NOT A HAPPY CAMPER! :o( She was only with Santa for less than a minute but that was long enough for the pouty face. We completely understand her fears and just snapped a few shots and were on our way.
We moved on to the Children's Room where Ava (with help from Mommy) made a set of reindeer antlers. She was a little happier with this.

Maybe in a few years she'll be more relaxed with Santa. I'm sure it's pretty scary for a little kid.

Recent Snapshots

It finally happened. Maya and Ava made friends. They've always gotten along but Maya has kept her distance and rightfully so...Ava can be a little rough at this age. The other day I caught Maya climbing onto Ava's little couch and making herself a little snuggle spot. Chris longs for the day when we find the doggies snuggling with Ava in her bed at night. (they currently sleep in bed with Chris and me - thank heavens for King-sized beds.)
Here's Ava wearing her stinker-face. She's really got loads of personality. It's fun to watch.
Ava LOVED looking at the Christmas lights. She kept saying "WOW!" and "COOL!" - her new words for describing neat stuff. We put up a tree of her very own in her room, complete with Elmo and friends ornaments.

We gave Ava her first bubble-bath the other night. She still tried to drink the water though. I thought she'd learn pretty quick that bubbles didn't taste good - but nope she kept putting her face in it. The bubbles were a hit though as far as entertainment was concerned.

Looking for a Cure..

...to TODDLER BOREDOM!

Okay all of you out there - I need some serious help coming up with ideas to help entertain my 18 month-old. She's been on this Little Mermaid kick where she wants to watch it 1, 2 or even 3 times a day. I say yes to 1 time on most days, sometimes yes to 2 times, (when I'm enjoying getting project time - though feeling guilty about it) but no to 3 times. Of course, Mommy gets a little bored sometimes too. So - needless to say, we could use some fresh ideas.

If only she had a twin to play with! (right, Anne Marie?)

How do you keep an 18-month old, with no siblings, happy and entertained? Generic and Original ideas welcome!

Lobster or Chicken Fingers?

Tonight we went out to eat to celebrate Chris' new job. We went to McCormick & Schmick's on the plaza for some seafood. We had once eaten at a McCormick & Schmik's in Baltimore for Christmas dinner with Chris' family and loved it. We were really disappointed this time because they didn't have the Maryland-style crabcakes that Chris loves and I have grown to love. I guess you just have to be in Maryland to get the real things. (Actually, we've found that we can make some pretty mean crabcakes using the lump crab we can buy at Costco - guess we'll be doing that soon.)

Needless to say, we did have a nice dinner. Chris had lobster & scallops, I had salmon & caesar salad, Ava had chicken fingers and french fries. I think we covered the spectrum. Oh and we also had some yummy chocolate cake.

Holiday Spirit

Okay - it's got me - the holiday bug. I'm sure a lot of my feelings of holiday happiness are brought on from the commerial aspect of Christmas and Thanksgiving, but in general I just love this time of year. I'm also feeling very blessed right now. Heavenly Father has blessed us with so many great things - I can't help but feel gratitude. I'm also realizing how important it is to give back and to find ways to help others. We were at the grocery store just last night and Chris overheard a family talking about how expensive their Thanksgiving dinner was going to be and somewhat worried over whether they'd be able to afford it. It just reminds you that there are always people who are in need in ways that maybe we aren't.

I plan to and encourage all of you to try to do something different or more this season to bless the lives of others! I hope to not just stop there but to continue trying to share the blessings.

I'd love to hear how you serve or give back to others and/or the community.

What a Mess

I don't have much exciting to write about. I've been working on collecting fabrics and just finished the top to an I-spy quilt. (Thanks for the new addiction, Camie! I'll add that to my list of addictions, which include: scrapbooking, food, email, web/blog-surfing, various TV shows, shopping, speeding, etc.)

Needless to say, my house is a disaster area. It's too hard to manage all of the "other stuff", when you're immersed in a project. It's too bad we can't just spend all of our time doing the things we want to do. I'm still praying for a cleaning fairy.

The Little Mermaid & the Hospital

Ava's new obsession is for the Little Mermaid. She wants to watch the DVD all the time, listen to the music CD in the car, play with her mermaid doll (Okay, so we got her the doll which means we're slightly encouraging this obsession) and she even wants to sing the part where the mermaid sings, "Ah, ah, ah, ah.....ah...ah...ah...ah..." If you've seen it you'll know what I'm talking about. The other morning she woke up for a few minutes, starting singing this and then went back to sleep. :)

Where does the HOSPITAL part come in? Well, it has nothing to do with the mermaid. Chris just accepted a new job at LMH in town. We're very excited about it. He will no longer have a long commute, will be compensated much better, and will have better opportunities for the future. YAY, Chris! It will be so nice to have him close to home. Ava and I can go and see him and eat hospital cafeteria food for lunch, "YUMM-O". (thank you Rachel Ray for the tasty word).

Had a Sono Today

Well, we had a sonogram today and it looks like it's going to be a GIRL! The tech said she was pretty sure and that we'd check it again at my next sono - but added that she'd be surprised if it were a boy.

Our Little Monster (Monis)

Our little girl dressed up as ELMO this year. She absolutely LOVES Elmo so we had to do it. FYI: She's Our Little "Monis" because that is how she says monster...ie, cookie monis or just monis for cookie monster.

We went to our ward's Trunk-or-Treat. Other than the fact that it was cold, I think Ava had a good time.
Give me some candy! She kept taking her "hood" off so we had to be quick to snap some shots with it on. The nice thing was that almost all of my family was at the trunk-or-treat, so we could all congregate together.
A car nearby was playing Halloween music. All of the sudden, Ava just started busting a move. Some of us circled around her and just watched her boogy to the music. She kept going back for more too. So cute! I love how uninhibited she is.

Here's Ava looking at herself in the mirror at Grandma & Grandpas. (We all headed over there after the trunk-or-treat.)
Family Shot...Chris had been wearing devil horns earlier but opted to take them off (well, not figuratively of course ;). I was a cat, cliche I know but super easy when you already have the headband and like wearing black.

Bath Time Fun

We were helping to watch Ava's cousins, Kate and William, Sunday night. Ava was in need of a bath so we threw Kate in with her. They had a great time. We even got Ava to wash Kate's back with the wash cloth.

Ava made Kate laugh hysterically by her excited splashing. Kate didn't seem to mind that it was getting all over her (and all over the floor!).
Ava was T-I-R-E-D. It was already past her bedtime - but what kid wants to go to sleep when there are playmates around? Kate thought it was funny to keep reaching out and touching Ava. Ava wasn't as amused.

An evening quote

“Oh no!”
Chris exclaims, looking into the refridgerator.
“What?”
Lori asks.
“I’ve been drinking squirrel milk!”
Chris replies seriously.
Lori laughs uncontrollably

I should probably explain that we buy whole milk for Ava and 1% for us - and one of Chris' nicknames for Ava is "Squirrel."

I got a pretty good laugh out of that one. I even had to look up whether squirrels did indeed lactate...they do.